Rep. Yolonda Morris

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish reimbursement rates that build toward livable wages for front-line personnel in residential and day programs and service coordination agencies serving persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Provides that for community-based providers serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, subject to federal approval, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after July 1, 2024 shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $3.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in effect on June 30, 2024 for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support professionals, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined, by rule, by the Department. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that for ID/DD facilities and MC/DD facilities, the rates taking effect for services delivered on or after July 1, 2024, shall be increased sufficiently to: (i) provide a minimum $3.00 per hour wage increase over the wages in effect on June 30, 2024 for front-line personnel; and (ii) provide wages for all other residential non-executive direct care staff, excluding direct support professionals, at the U.S. Department of Labor's average wage as defined, by rule, by the Department. Requires the same increase for front-line personnel employed at community-based providers serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants the Departments of Human Services and Healthcare and Family Services emergency rulemaking authority. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. In a provision requiring the Department on Aging to require an annual audit from all personal assistant and home care aide vendors contracting with the Department, provides that the annual audit shall assure that each audited vendor's procedures are in compliance with the Department's financial reporting guidelines requiring an 80% or higher employee wage and benefits cost split and an administrative cost split of no more than 20% (rather than an administrative and employee wage and benefits cost split as defined in administrative rules). Provides that subject to federal approval, on and after January 1, 2025, rates for homemaker services shall be increased to $32.75 to sustain a minimum wage of $20 per hour for direct service workers. Provides that rates in subsequent State fiscal years shall be no lower than $32.75 upon federal approval. Requires providers of in-home services to be required to certify to the Department that they remain in compliance with the mandated wage increase for direct service workers. Provides that fringe benefits, including, but not limited to, paid time off and payment for training, health insurance, travel, or transportation, shall not be reduced in relation to the rate increases. Provides that subject to federal approval, on and after January 1, 2025, the Department shall pay a rate add-on under the Community Care Program to those in-home service provider agencies that attest and document their direct service workers attend paid, quarterly, in-person training sessions to fulfill the in-service training requirements. Provides that the add-on shall be 1% of the homemaker services rate. Requires the Department to adopt rules.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that subject to federal approval, within 12 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, nutrition care services and medical nutrition therapy provided by a registered dietitian licensed under the Dietitian Nutritionist Practice Act who is acting within the scope of his or her license shall be covered under the medical assistance program. Provides that the covered services may be aimed at prevention, delay, management, treatment, or rehabilitation of a disease or condition and include nutrition assessment, nutrition intervention, nutrition counseling, and nutrition monitoring and evaluation. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to apply for any federal waiver or Title XIX State Plan amendment, if required, to implement the amendatory Act. Permits the Department to adopt any rules, including standards and criteria, necessary to implement the amendatory Act.

Urges the federal government to allocate more funding toward finding a cure for Lyme disease and declares May 2024 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in the State of Illinois.

Declares May 15, 2024 as Getting to Zero Illinois Day in the State of Illinois to recommit to a hopeful and achievable path toward virtually eliminating new HIV transmissions and improving overall health care access in Illinois so that all Illinoisans can thrive. Expresses support for the goals and priorities of the Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) plan, including the recently updated Getting to Zero Illinois Plan 2.0, with the goal to achieve zero new HIV transmissions by 2030. Expresses support for continued funding for prevention, care, and treatment services for communities impacted by HIV and people living with HIV in Illinois. Expresses support for efforts to reduce health disparities and improve access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment in the Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities disproportionately impacted by HIV.

Congratulates the Illinois Area Agencies on Aging for its 50 years of service. Encourages all Illinois residents to recognize the invaluable contributions the Illinois Area Agencies on Aging have made to the State's senior citizens.

Declares the month of August 2024 as Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month in the State of Illinois. Encourages continuing research on spinal muscular atrophy and community support for those affected with the disease.

Declares April 2024 as Minority Health Month. Urges all Americans to learn their LDL-C level. Urges the Illinois Department of Health to update the State's cardiovascular plan to accelerate quality improvements and measures to achieve improved health outcomes for CVD patients. Urges the Illinois Department of Health to develop campaigns to increase cholesterol tests during the month of April. Urges providers to treat all CVD patients in accordance with American College of Cardiology treatment guidelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates the State of Illinois Building in Chicago as the "Jesse White State of Illinois Building." It directly affects the building located at 115 S. LaSalle Street, correcting the address from the original draft to ensure accuracy. The legislation is a commemorative resolution that does not change laws or create new programs, but rather assigns a specific name to honor Jesse White. Once passed, the building will carry this new name on official records and signage.

Maddy summaryThis bill declares May 1, 2024, as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Day in the State of Illinois. It directly affects members of the sorority and the state government by officially recognizing the organization's history and its ongoing advocacy work in the community. The resolution highlights the sorority's role in promoting social issues and notes the presence of its members within various branches of Illinois state government. This measure serves as a commemorative acknowledgment rather than establishing new laws or policies.